Gold medal for Orkney Brewery

The Orkney Brewery has claimed gold at a major beer festival in London.

The brewery's Red MacGregor took the Champion Beer of Britain medal in the Bitter Category at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF), held at Olympia last week.

Red MacGregor from the Orkney BreweryThe event, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is the largest annual beer festival in the UK and brings together hundreds of breweries from across the country.

Red MacGregor is part of the Orkney Brewery's core range and has consistently been one of its most popular beers over the years. It was the first beer in Scotland to use US Cascade hops and has a toasty, caramel malt character, with citrus and fruit notes normally associated with an American Pale Ale.

The gold award comes during a busy year for the Orkney Brewery. New beers, including Cliff Edge IPA and Wave Breaker Blonde Ale, have been released in 2018, and the limited edition 'Celebration XXX', an Orcadian Peat Smoked Ale, will be launched in September as part of the brewery's 30th anniversary celebrations.

Norman Sinclair, Managing Director of the Orkney Brewery, said: “This is another fantastic achievement for our brewers and all the commercial team who work hard to support, promote and deliver great beer experiences for our customers and drinkers throughout the UK. It also goes to show that focus, meticulous attention to process and the quality of ingredients can be recognised as well as innovative brewing.”

Commercial Manager at the brewery, Craig Steven, added: “Our Red MacGregor and Dark Island beers have a strong reputation and have been consistently recognised with many awards, but we have not been resting on our laurels and our new beers are an excellent counterpoint to our core range."

The Digital Orkney project has been part financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Orkney LEADER 2014-2020 Programme.